The Way You Are: Secondary
by corneroffandom
Summary: When Dolph suffers another concussion, Zack struggles to hold them both together.


Dolph Ziggler is confused. Things are bright, loud, painful, and he just wants it all to stop. The last time he remembers feeling like this had been after a triple threat with Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio, a disgusting headache, dizziness, sensitivity to everything around him, proven to be a fullfledged concussion that left him sidelined for weeks, ruining his opportunity as World Heavyweight Champion. He moans faintly and rolls his head around the pillow, unable to focus on anything as stabbing pain shoots up his skull anytime he dares to open his eyes. "Help," he mumbles. "Help..." Fingers are stroking through his sweaty hair, soothing him, and he groans faintly, turning into the familiar touch. His mind immediately flashes on a memory of a dark haired girl, sitting by him with a worried look on her face as she kisses him, trying to keep him from panicking at what a concussion in that stage of his career could possibly mean. "AJ..." The fingers against his scalp slow, then disappear, and he whimpers, overwhelmed by fear of being left alone in this condition. "No, please, don't stop," he pleads, tears filling his eyes again.

When the careful touch returns, he sighs and turns towards the warm pressure, unaware of the pain on Zack Ryder's face as he stares down at his boyfriend, swallowing hard when his eyes darken with pain and unbidden memories of the time they'd spent apart, how it had felt to see Dolph with the former general manager and well aware that it's what Dolph must've felt like, watching his disasterous attempt at wooing Eve Torres. Except that Dolph and AJ had lasted a lot longer and went a lot further, which had made Zack feel even worse. He knows it's not Dolph's fault, that he's confused and completely out of it, but still it hurts like a knife through his chest. Sighing glumly, he leans over and presses a soft kiss to Dolph's parted lips, relieved when he responds, slight pressure but enough to ease some of Zack's agony. "I love you, bro," he whispers to him before stretching out next to him, knowing that it's going to be a long, restless night as he keeps an eye on him, wakes him up a couple of times to make sure that he's still in there.

Dolph rolls over a few minutes later and presses his face into Zack's shoulder, making the younger man smile as he strokes his back and sets his alarm just in case he should somehow fall asleep.

Dolph's first full moment of awareness is pure agony because the sun is shining relentlessly into the room, adding to his throbbing headache, and he moans aloud. Immediately he hears footsteps and a whispered apology as fabric is shifted, drapes adjusted. Once the room is shadowed again, he gingerly opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling until a face hovers over his, worried green eyes examining him. "Hey, kid," he whispers, smiling faintly as he reaches out for Zack.

Zack's face immediately brightens, some of the worry dissipating as he leans in and kisses Dolph softly. "Hey. How do you feel?" Dolph shakes his head imperceptibly and Zack sighs, nodding. "I'm sorry about the drapes, bro. I thought they were closed, but last night was so... insane, I didn't think about it. Didn't mean to make your headache any worse." He reaches towards Dolph's hair, Ziggler releasing a soft breath in anticipation of his fingers massaging his scalp, but Zack freezes a few inches away and he slowly lowers his hands back onto the bed. "I'm gonna call the doctor, make sure he knows to expect us when we get you back to Arizona," he tells him, all but lunging out of the sheets to grab his phone and duck into the bathroom.

Dolph frowns, wondering what's going on with him, but when he tries to sit up, his vision swims and he groans, feeling the rough pull of nausea before dropping back down onto his pillows with a pathetic moan. He grips the sheets that Zack had left bunched up around him when he'd left and tugs at them, willing the pain to disappear so he can figure out what's going on, but although it ebbs and flows, it remains terrible enough that he can't move, lost in an unending sea of agony... until Zack returns to the main room and stands over him for a minute before gripping his hand and tugging the sheets loose, allowing Dolph to squeeze his fingers hard. "It's ok," he breathes, laying back down next to Dolph and pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek. "You're gonna be ok. I'm gonna be right here as often as I can till you're cleared."

Zack's warmth and his voice helps, Dolph's pain finally easing enough that he drifts back to sleep, the rest of the day passing in moments of consciousness surrounded by pure darkness and sleep, each time his eyes slip open to find Zack standing by the bed, or holding him, sometimes talking into a phone in the bathroom. The only times he wakes up for a more than a minute is when Zack tries to get him to eat- some lukewarm soup and toast, nothing too taxing, thankfully- or drink something, or when he needs the bathroom.

Zack is great, patient through each moment that Dolph can actually remember, patting some spilled soup off of his face with a towel. "I'm starting to feel like my mother, considering how often she had to take care of me when I was sick as a kid and a teenager," he comments, a wistful look in his eyes.

"No offense to her, but you're hotter than pretty much any mom," Dolph manages once he finishes fussing, Zack grinning at him as he pauses long enough to scoop up another spoonful, holding it to his lips. He obliges him with another few bites before holding his hand up, squeezing Zack's bicep.

"You've had enough, bro?" Not wanting to risk him getting sick, he nods and places the soup back on the table before leaning over to help Dolph lay back down comfortably. "Alright?"

"Mm hmm," the Showoff hums, closing his eyes. "Thanks, kid." He's out before Zack can even put the leftover soup back in the fridge for later.

Zack's eyes soften fondly as he walks back towards the bed and lays down, wrapping an arm around Dolph's waist and curling the other around his head, lightly stroking through his platinum strands while he sleeps, relieved that he remains quiet as Zack does so.

The next time Dolph wakes up, he feels a little more with it, shifting slightly until he feels Zack's hand brushing against his scalp, a confused flash of memory overwhelming him even as he looks over at the other man, watching him sleep. For a wild, ridiculous moment, he had been _so_ sure that AJ had been the one with him, comforting him, but no... no, that had been the concussion prior, years back before he and Zack had found their way back to each other... He frowns and searches Zack's face, lips parting as all of the pieces click together, slow but forming a puzzle that makes him feel worse than all of the concussions he'd ever had put together. "Shit," he whispers, finding Zack's other hand and drawing it up to his lips, kissing his palm. "I'm sorry, kid. I'm so sorry."

His memory, if true, explains why Zack had seemed kind of hesitant and distant the rare time Dolph had been awake enough to notice. He breathes a little easier when Zack wakes up, eyes bright and soft as he leans in and kisses him, humming against his lips before he gets out of bed and pads towards the bathroom. Dolph is relieved, testing his own balance as he sits up. Unlike the last attempt, he feels more steady this time, releasing a soft breath as he reaches over and grabs the phone, squinting at the screen as he finds a nearly forgotten number and dials it. His eyes watering, he presses it to his ear almost violently and breathes in as he listens to it ring. He almost doesn't expect an answer, but as soon as he hears a voice on the other end, he doesn't even bother saying hello. "You probably will not want to hear this, and I can't say I blame you, but I need your help."

Zack's barely stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later when there's a knock at the hotel door. He frowns, about to move to get it, when Dolph pulls the sheets back and moves to stand, Zack's attention instantly on him. "Bro, what are you doing?" he demands, rushing to his side.

"I'm a little better, kid," he comforts him, resting a hand on his forearm. "See, I can stand on my own and everything." He's still a little dizzy but the longer he holds onto Zack, the faster it fades away and he smiles, patting the other man's worried face. "I'll be ok for a minute. I needed to get up anyway. Was getting stiff, laying there for so long. Besides, our flight is in a few hours, right?"

"Alright," he says doubtfully, another round of knocking at the door distracting him. "Oh..."

"Go get it, I'll be right back," Dolph tells him, walking gingerly into the bathroom and shutting the door, though Zack's relieved to not hear the lock click as he walks towards the door, wondering who could possibly be looking for them.

_Trainer maybe,_ he thinks, peeking through the peephole to make sure it's not some fan out there who had somehow snuck past security or something. It's _not_ either option, though he kind of wishes it had been when he sees _who_ it actually is. Even so, he squares his shoulders and pulls the door open, staring down at AJ Lee as she taps a finger impatiently against her arm. "What are you doing here?" he demands, possibly sounding a little harsher than he normally would, but Dolph calling out for her is still fresh in his mind and all kinds of ridiculous thoughts start running through his mind as she tilts her head at him.

"Took you long enough to answer the door," she tells him simply, brushing past him and skipping over to the bed where she sits on the edge, Indian style, as though she owns the place. He gapes at her before closing the door blankly behind him and walking over to her. "Ziggler called me. Why don't you take a seat?" She stares at her fingernail critically as he runs his fingers through his hair, slumping down in a desk chair and wheeling it towards her.

"Did I do... something wrong? Does he think you'll be more help with the rest of his recovery?" he mumbles, mouth dry. The thought of getting kicked out, replaced with her, when all he wants to do is stay, hold Dolph's hand, support him as best as he can through the rest of his recovery, make up for the years of moments like these that he'd missed after the US title and Princess Leia had come between them, makes him feel clammy and sick.

She looks up at him for a moment before shaking her head, blowing out an exasperated breath. "Communication never was his strong suit," she mumbles. "No. No, I am most definitely not here to take your place. How you've managed to last this long with him, I can't even guess. But he called and said he did something that perhaps I could help you with, and I've been in your shoes, so I figure the least I could do is ensure you don't have _these_ doubts on top of everything else you have to deal with from him." Zack's shaking his head, confused, when she turns all of her focus onto him, a kind of solemn glint in her dark eyes. "When Dolph was concussed during that match with Swagger and Del Rio, E and I would sit up with him. I'd hold his hand and talk to him and E would generally read, but we both clearly heard it on the second or third day. He was restlessly dozing and I was in the process of telling him about some movie coming out in theaters, when he said, _I love you, Zack_."

Zack blinks at her, stupefied, and she smirks bitterly. "I... I... he did?"

"Yep. I thought for awhile it was just his memories, confused because of the concussion, so I never said anything about it, and E kept it to himself as well, but when things fell apart and you two got back together... well, I don't think that anymore." She leans forward and nudges him with her foot. "He's always had feelings for you, even when he was too proud or wounded to admit it. But this time? I'm 99% certain the only reason he called out for me _was_ just muddled memories, not because he missed or wanted me." She stares at Zack for a minute before getting to her feet. "So don't worry about little ol' me and continue to be the good boyfriend you seem to be. He's all yours, no one else's."

Zack swallows and stands too, watching her walk towards the door, job done. "Thanks, AJ," he finally manages as she waves halfheartedly over her shoulder, shutting the door behind her with a loud click. He breathes in deeply and looks towards the bathroom. "She's gone," he calls out towards it with a small smile.

Dolph opens the door and peers out, relieved to see that Zack seems lighter. He ventures out of the bathroom and walks into Zack's outstretched arms, resting his head on Zack's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid. I don't know why I said it, I didn't mean-"

"I know," he mutters, realizing that he doesn't need or want an explanation from him. Not after everything he's been through. "It's ok, bro." He laughs softly. "Luckily for you I love your scrambled brain too much to really get too offended when you say the wrong thing." Dolph huffs as Zack pulls back and presses a warm, lingering kiss to his forehead, stroking his fingers through his hair. Understandably, Dolph tires quickly so Zack's not surprised when he melts into his arms, reacting quick enough to drag the Show Off back to bed before he falls asleep standing up. Once he's settled back against the sheets and pillows, Zack settles in next to him and watches him doze, loosely gripping his fingers with one hand and continuing to brush his hair out of his eyes with the other as he breathes in deeply.

When Dolph shifts towards him, his lips parting, Zack freezes in worry at what he might say next, but when he whispers, "I love you, kid," the broski grins affectionately and nuzzles closer to him, tucking him in securely.

"Love you too, bro."


End file.
